Ben Affleck's new thriller, Argo, chronicles a secret CIA rescue mission — a mission that remained classified for years. When details finally came to light, the operation sounded like something only Hollywood could come up with. As we find out, there's a reason for that.

It's 1979, and the Iranian public's hatred for their U.S.-backed shah erupts when he leaves the country. A crowd grows around the U.S. Embassy in Tehran — they're climbing the gates and taking dozens of Americans hostage.

The shocked Canadian ambassador in Tehran finds himself secretly sheltering six escaped U.S. Embassy workers in his residence. Now, how to get them out? The best idea the State Department comes up with involves pedaling 300 miles to the border — in the snow.

The CIA's Tony Mendez has a slightly less outlandish idea — to recast the six clerks as a film crew in order to smuggle them out of Iran.

A quick hop to Hollywood takes Tony to a meeting with a makeup guy, played by John Goodman, who tells Tony: "Look, if you're going to do this, you're going to do this. ... You can't build cover stories around a movie that doesn't exist. You need a script, you need a producer."

Tony offers his own services, but Goodman bats down this idea.

"You need somebody who's a somebody to put their name on it. Somebody respectable. With credits. Who you can trust with classified information. Who will produce a fake movie. For free."

And that's where Alan Arkin comes in — and the tough stuff begins.

The script is snappy, but the real accomplishment here is how Affleck, who both stars in and directs Argo, manages to segue from Ocean's Eleven-style repartee to pulse-pounding tension and back again.

His CIA agent arrives in Tehran to find cars on fire, mobs in the street, executed bodies swinging from construction cranes — and six Americans who are both afraid to leave their hiding place and sketchy on the aliases they have barely 24 hours to learn.

Affleck builds Argo to a heart-stopping finale, heightened a bit from what actually happened. But as the credits roll, he establishes just how artfully the film has blended truth and fiction with words from President Jimmy Carter and side-by-side photos of the real folks and the actors.

By its final fade, Argo feels like more than just a thriller — even a thriller with real thrills and serious Oscar buzz. It feels like a window on events that led to the world we live in now. (Recommended)

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Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel. Ben Affleck's new thriller, "Argo," chronicles a secret CIA rescue mission. The details were classified for years. And when they came to light, the operation sounded like something only Hollywood could come up with. Critic Bob Mondello says, there's a reason.

BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: 1979, the Iranian public's hatred for their U.S.-installed shah erupts when he leaves the country. A crowd grows around our embassy in Tehran - climbing the gates, taking dozens of Americans hostage.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

(ARCHIVED NEWS CLIP)

PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER: (as himself) Actions of Iran have shocked the civilized world.

MONDELLO: Shocked the Canadian ambassador in Tehran, too, who finds himself secretly sheltering six escaped U.S. embassy workers in his residence. Now, how to get them out? The best idea the State Department's come up with...

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

ZELJKO IVANEK: (as Robert Pender) What we'd like for this - are bicycles.

MONDELLO: ...involves pedaling 300 miles to the border, in the snow. The CIA's Tony Mendez has a slightly less-outlandish thought.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

BEN AFFLECK: (as Tony Mendez) I've got an idea ...

They're a Canadian film crew for a science-fiction movie ...

I fly into Tehran ...

We all fly out together, as a film crew.

MONDELLO: A quick hop to Hollywood, where a makeup guy - played by John Goodman - is helping him recast his six embassy clerks as a plausible film crew.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

JOHN GOODMAN: (as John Chambers) Here's your director.

AFFLECK: (as Tony Mendez) Can you teach somebody to be a director, in a day?

GOODMAN: (as John Chambers) You can teach a rhesus monkey to be a director, in a day. Look, if you're going to do this, you need a script; you need a producer.

AFFLECK: (as Tony Mendez) Make me a producer.

GOODMAN: (as John Chambers) No. You're an associate producer, at best. You need somebody who's a somebody, to put their name on it; somebody respectable...

MONDELLO: He's thinking...

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

GOODMAN: (as John Chambers) ...with credits...

MONDELLO: ...slight squint...

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

GOODMAN: (as John Chambers) ...who you can trust with classified information...

MONDELLO: ...face is falling...

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

GOODMAN: (as John Chambers) ...who will produce a fake movie - for free.

MONDELLO: So he takes Tony to meet with just the guy - who's played by Alan Arkin, and who has his own doubts.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "ARGO")

ALAN ARKIN: (as Lester Siegel) You want to set up a movie, in a week. You want to lie to Hollywood, a town where everybody lies for a living. Then you're going to sneak 007, over here, into a country that wants CIA blood on their breakfast cereal. And you're going to walk the Brady Bunch out of the most-watched city in the world.

AFFLECK: ...There are only bad options. It's about finding the best one.

HALL: (as government official) You don't have a better bad idea than this?

CRANSTON: (as Jack O'Donnell) This is the best bad idea we have, sir - by far.

HALL: (as government official) The United States government has just sanctioned your science-fiction movie.

MONDELLO: And the tough stuff begins. You can hear that the script is snappy. But the real accomplishment here is how Ben Affleck, who both stars in and directs "Argo," manages to segue from "Ocean's Eleven"-style repartee to pulse-pounding tension and back again. His CIA agent arrives in Tehran to find executed bodies swinging from construction cranes; cars on fire; mobs in the street; and six Americans who are both afraid to leave their hiding place, and sketchy on the aliases they have barely 24 hours to learn.

AFFLECK: (as Tony Mendez) Shoot him. He's an American spy. Look, they're going to try to break you - OK? - by trying to get you agitated. You have to know your resume, back to front.

RORY COCHRANE: (as Lee Schatz) You really believe your little story's going to make a difference when there's a gun to our heads?

AFFLECK: (as Tony Mendez) I think my story's the only thing between you and a gun to your head.

MONDELLO: Affleck builds "Argo" to a heart-stopping finale, which is heightened a bit from what actually happened. But as the credits roll, he establishes just how artfully the film has blended truth and fiction by using words from President Jimmy Carter, and side-by-side photos of the real folks and the actors. By its final fade, "Argo" feels like more than a thriller, with real thrills and serious Oscar buzz. It feels like a window on events that led to the world that we live in now.